Validation of the 4AT, a new instrument for rapid delirium screening: a study in 234 hospitalised older people.

OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the performance of the 4 'A's Test (4AT) in screening for delirium in older patients. The 4AT is a new test for rapid screening of delirium in routine clinical practice. DESIGN: : prospective study of consecutively admitted elderly patients with independent 4AT and reference standard assessments. SETTING: : an acute geriatrics ward and a department of rehabilitation. PARTICIPANTS: two hundred and thirty-six patients (aged ≥70 years) consecutively admitted over a period of 4 months. MEASUREMENTS: in each centre, the 4AT was administered by a geriatrician to eligible patients within 24 h of admission. Reference standard delirium diagnosis (DSM-IV-TR criteria) was obtained within 30 min by a different geriatrician who was blind to the 4AT score. The presence of dementia was assessed using the Alzheimer's Questionnaire and the informant section of the Clinical Dementia Rating scale. The main outcome measure was the accuracy of the 4AT in diagnosing delirium. RESULTS: patients were 83.9 ± 6.1 years old, and the majority were women (64%). Delirium was detected in 12.3% (n = 29), dementia in 31.2% (n = 74) and a combination of both in 7.2% (n = 17). The 4AT had a sensitivity of 89.7% and specificity 84.1% for delirium. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves for delirium diagnosis were 0.93 in the whole population, 0.92 in patients without dementia and 0.89 in patients with dementia. CONCLUSIONS: the 4AT is a sensitive and specific method of screening for delirium in hospitalised older people. Its brevity and simplicity support its use in routine clinical practice.

Association between statin use at admission to inpatient rehabilitation and functional status at discharge among older patients.

The effect of statins on functional status in older patients is unclear. Statins might carry a deleterious effect on muscle function leading to myopathy and therefore affecting functional recovery. We evaluated the relationship between statin exposure at in-hospital rehabilitation admission and functional outcome at discharge. This was a retrospective cohort study of older patients 70 years and older consecutively admitted to an in-hospital rehabilitation after an acute hospitalization. Statin exposure was measured at the time of rehabilitation admission. Functional status was defined with the Barthel Index (BI) score at the time of discharge. A multi-variable linear regression model was used to evaluate the association between statin exposure and functional status at discharge adjusting for potential confounders through a propensity score for statin exposure. A total of 2435 patients were included. The cohort had a mean age of 81.1 years. Of these 9% (n=220) were on statins at the time of admission. In the multi-variable analysis, the use of statins at the time of admission was independently associated with an improved functional status at discharge (point estimate 5.2; 95% confidence interval 1.5-8.9; p<0.01) after adjusting for relevant confounders. Patients who were receiving statins at the time of admission had a BI score 5 points higher compared to those who were not receiving statins. The use of statins was overall safe in a group of co-morbid older patients undergoing rehabilitation training after an acute hospitalization. Additionally, a possible benefit was found given the positive association between statin use and higher functional status at discharge.

Delirium superimposed on dementia strongly predicts worse outcomes in older rehabilitation inpatients.

OBJECTIVE: Delirium superimposed on dementia (DSD) is common in many settings. Nonetheless, little is known about the association between DSD and clinical outcomes. The study aim was to evaluate the association between DSD and related adverse outcomes at discharge from rehabilitation and at 1-year follow-up in older inpatients undergoing rehabilitation. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Hospital rehabilitation unit. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 2642 patients aged 65 years or older admitted between January 2002 and December 2006. MEASUREMENTS: Dementia predating rehabilitation admission was detected by DSM-III-R criteria. Delirium was diagnosed with the DSM-IV-TR. The primary outcome was that of walking dependence (Barthel Index mobility subitem score of <15) captured as a trajectory from discharge to 1-year follow-up. A mixed-effects multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the association between DSD and outcome, after adjusting for relevant covariates. Secondary outcomes were institutionalization and mortality at 1-year follow-up, and logistic regression models were used to analyze these associations. RESULTS: The median age was 77 years (interquartile range: 71-83). The prevalence of DSD was 8%, and the prevalence of delirium and dementia alone were 4% and 22%, respectively. DSD at admission was found to be significantly associated with almost a 15-fold increase in the odds of walking dependence (odds ratio [OR] 15.5; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 5.6-42.7; P < .01). DSD was also significantly associated with a fivefold increase in the risk of institutionalization (OR 5.0; 95% CI 2.8-8.9; P < .01) and an almost twofold increase in the risk of mortality (OR 1.8; 95% CI 1.1-2.8; P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: DSD is a strong predictor of functional dependence, institutionalization, and mortality in older patients admitted to a rehabilitation setting, suggesting that strategies to detect DSD routinely in practice should be developed and DSD should be included in prognostic models of health care.

Predictors of rehospitalization among elderly patients admitted to a rehabilitation hospital: the role of polypharmacy, functional status, and length of stay.

OBJECTIVES: Rehospitalizations for elderly patients are an increasing health care burden. Nonetheless, we have limited information on unplanned rehospitalizations and the related risk factors in elderly patients admitted to in-hospital rehabilitation facilities after an acute hospitalization. SETTING: In-hospital rehabilitation and aged care unit. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: Elderly patients 65 years or older admitted to an in-hospital rehabilitation hospital after an acute hospitalization between January 2004 and June 2011. MEASUREMENTS: The rate of 30-day unplanned rehospitalization to hospitals was recorded. Risk factors for unplanned rehospitalization were evaluated at rehabilitation admission: age, comorbidity, serum albumin, number of drugs, decline in functional status, delirium, Mini Mental State Examination score, and length of stay in the acute hospital. A multivariable Cox proportional regression model was used to identify the effect of these risk factors for time to event within the 30-day follow-up. RESULTS: Among 2735 patients, with a median age of 80 years (interquartile range 74-85), 98 (4%) were rehospitalized within 30 days. Independent predictors of 30-day unplanned rehospitalization were the use of 7 or more drugs (hazard ratio [HR], 3.94; 95% confidence interval, 1.62-9.54; P = .002) and a significant decline in functional status (56 points or more at the Barthel Index) compared with the month before hospital admission (HR 2.67, 95% CI: 1.35-5.27; P = .005). Additionally, a length of stay in the acute hospital of 13 days or more carried a twofold higher risk of rehospitalization (HR 2.67, 95% CI: 1.39-5.10); P = .003). CONCLUSIONS: The rate of unplanned rehospitalization was low in this study. Polypharmacy, a significant worsening of functional status compared with the month before acute hospital admission, and hospital length of stay are important risk factors.

Outcomes of nonagenarian patients after rehabilitation following hip fracture surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Hip fractures (HF) are a growing cause of death and disability among older people, especially in the very old. Although the incidence of these events increases with age and nonagenarians represent a population at high risk, few studies selectively focused on these patients and on their potential to recover gait ability after HF. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical, biological, cognitive, and functional characteristics of a population of HF patients aged 90 years or older, to examine their functional recovery in gait (with or without aids), in-hospital mortality and destination at discharge, and, finally, to assess their 1-year survival according to the functional status achieved at discharge. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Department of Rehabilitation and Aged Care. PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-six nonagenarians admitted to a department of rehabilitation after HF surgery. MEASUREMENT: Patients underwent a multidimensional assessment on admission and at discharge. Outcome measures at discharge were the global scores of Tinetti and the Barthel Index, the score at the transferring and walking subitems of the Barthel Index, and the independence to walk with or without aids. Furthermore, we assessed the rate of discharge to home after rehabilitation and the rate of in-hospital death. Logistic regressions were used to assess clinical variables associated with the inability to walk at discharge. Postdischarge 12-month survival was assessed with Kaplan Meyer analysis and compared with Cox proportional hazard regression models, adjusted for confounders. INTERVENTION: A standardized rehabilitation treatment of 2 sessions (40 minutes per session) daily from Monday to Friday and of 1 session on Saturday that included exercises of strengthening, transfers, postural and gait training, and adaptive equipment training. RESULTS: Five patients died during their admission to the department. Among the 71 survivors, 84.5% were able to walk at discharge with an assistive device, either a cane or a walker. Comorbidity and prefracture Barthel Index global score were the only 2 variables associated with the failure to be independent in walking at discharge. At 1 year, mortality was significantly higher for those patients who did not recover walking ability after rehabilitation. CONCLUSION: A large proportion of nonagenarians are able to achieve independence in walking ability (with assistive device) after rehabilitation following HF surgery. The achievement of this ability after rehabilitation is also an important prognostic factor for 1-year survival.

Are fluctuations in motor performance a diagnostic sign of delirium?

BACKGROUND: Although delirium is known as a mental disorder, recent evidence suggests that it is associated with short- and long-term impairment of functional status. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether a pattern of fluctuations in motor performance are a diagnostic sign of delirium. DESIGN: Case-controlled study with prospective evaluations of 4 groups of patients. SETTING: Department of Rehabilitation and Aged Care. METHODS: Fifteen patients with incident delirium alone (Del group) and 15 patients with incident delirium superimposed on dementia (DSD group) were compared with 15 patients with neither delirium nor dementia (No Del-No Dem group) and 15 patients with dementia but no delirium (Dem group), respectively. Eligibility criteria were age 65 years or older, ability on admission to maintain sitting position for at least 10 minutes, and absence of visual/hearing impairment or delirium on admission. All patients underwent a multidimensional assessment on admission and serial evaluations of motor performance using Trunk Control Test (TCT) and Tinetti scale. These assessments were fixed at 5 different times, coincident with admission (T(0)), predelirium (T(1)), onset of delirium (T(2)), resolution of delirium (T(3)), and discharge (T(4)). RESULTS: Patients in the Dem, DSD, and Del groups were significantly more impaired at T(0) in cognitive and functional status and motor performance compared with No Del-No Dem patients. At T(1) all groups improved, although in different ways. At T(2) only in the Del and DSD groups, but not in the others, there was a pattern of decline in TCT and Tinetti scores (P < .0005 at t test for pair comparison for both tests) and a specular pattern of improvement at T(3) (P < .0005 at t test for pair comparison for both tests). Patients in the Del and DSD groups had the poorest attentive and executive performances at T(2), which significantly improved at T(3). In No Del-No Dem and Dem groups, attentive and executive functions did not change from T(2) to T(3.) CONCLUSION: Patients with delirium exhibit a pattern of fluctuating motor performance that is chronologically related with the onset and the end of delirium, ie, they decline when delirium develops and improve when delirium ends. This pattern seems to be typical of delirium, as it is appreciable in subjects with dementia developing delirium but not in patients with dementia alone. A fluctuation of motor performance should be considered a diagnostic sign of delirium.

Clinical complexity and Occam's razor: navigating between Scylla and Charibdy of the geriatric practice. A case of secondary hypertension in a very old patient.

The clinical approach toward elderly patients is often very complex and associated with an increased risk of medical errors. This case report is an example of how various objective (related to patient) and subjective (related to physicians) factors may influence the optimal diagnostic approach in elderly frail patients. We also discuss geriatric practice, which must be characterized by the intellectual honesty to refuse any sort of prejudices (such as ageism) and by the skill to navigate between the Scylla (ie, viewing clinical problems as unrelated to each other) and the Charibdy (ie, applying the Occam's razor principle) of the patient's complexity.